Campaigners say the traditional landmarks are closed to pedestrians

Walkers and history-lovers don’t have any simple method to go to greater than 1 / 4 of England’s oldest rural websites as a result of they’re on non-public land with no authorized rights of entry, campaigners have found. In line with

A report by the group Proper to Rome discovered that greater than 5,500 lesser-known websites designated as scheduled monuments don’t have any direct footpaths or should not on open-access land.

The Stone Membership, a gaggle for Neolithic stone fans, stated its members usually needed to trespass to entry the websites.

Authorities adviser Historic England stated landowners weren’t pressured to open such websites to the general public, though many gave permission on a case-by-case foundation.

Whereas the schedule signifies that any work on a protected website requires a non-public landowner’s consent, it doesn’t have an effect on their possession or entry to most people past current footpaths. Provides somebody new rights.

Nonetheless, the house owners of the East Kennet website informed the BBC they have been pleased for folks to come back with permission, as security was a difficulty when there was horse coaching close by.

The proprietor of the Holne Chase website has been contacted by the BBC for remark.

Countryside charity CPRE, previously often called the Marketing campaign to Shield Rural England, stated it believed Rome’s estimate of web sites with out a authorized proper of entry was “probably a major underestimate”.

This, it stated, was as a result of the report excluded websites that would not be straight accessed however have been inside 20 meters of a highway or footpath and will subsequently be seen from a distance, e.g. Devil’s Arrows Stone circle in North Yorkshire.

CPRE president Mary-Ann Ochota stated the general public ought to have a authorized proper to “accountable entry” to historical landmarks as a result of “peeking over the fence just isn’t sufficient”.

In the meantime, the Nation Land and Enterprise Affiliation (CLA), which represents rural landowners, stated many websites “face fixed threats – from motorbikes to metallic detectors – and to keep away from undesirable entry”. are very essential”.

“Open them, and we are able to lose them without end,” defined its president, Victoria Vivian.

He referred to as for extra funding to offer farmers with “managed, guided” entry and higher safety of scheduled monuments on their land.

Proper to Rome campaigner Amy-Jane Beer stated historical websites wanted to be accessible as a result of they “join us to our previous and improve our expertise of the countryside”.

The group is looking for a change within the legislation to carry England consistent with Scotland, the place, since 2003, a proper of accountable entry to most land has existed.

Matthew Shaw of the Stone Membership added: “The websites which are visited usually have energetic teams taking care of them – sustaining entry, ensuring the stones are effectively taken care of and the grounds Contacting the proprietor.”

A spokesman for the Division for Tradition, Media and Sport (DCMS) stated the aim of itemizing the monuments was to protect them for future generations and didn’t create new rights of public entry.

A Historic England spokesman added that it doesn’t require landowners to open their websites to the general public.

“Though not all are publicly accessible, we are able to additionally rejoice the positioning’s historical past by capturing and sharing details about it,” he added.